a peek inside the fishbowl

The Hourly Photo Challenge is just that. You, me, and a bunch of other people, taking one photo every hour on the hour throughout the day of whatever we happen to be doing or looking at that very moment. It is an amazing way to document a day in a very visual way.

Here are my results last year.

As per previous Hourly Photos – this is how it works:

• The idea is to take one photo every hour, on the hour, for the whole day. For many of us December 25 = chaos, so don’t worry about precision. We can only do our best!
• You don’t need to be a photographer in order to participate. I know some people are shy to post their photos, but this is not a contest or competition, it’s about documenting your day in an easy and interesting way and seeing how others do the same.
• Take as many photos as you are able. I start when I get up and stop when it gets too dark.
• Use whatever camera or mobile device you prefer. I’m using my iPhone, because it’s easy. Post them to your blog and/or your photosharing site when you can. Just make sure you let us know in the comments below where you’re posting them so we can all have a look. Tag your photos “hourlyphoto” so they’re easy to find. If you’re on Twitter use #hourlyphoto so we can all follow the convo.
• Would you like to make this extra challenging for yourself? DON’T DO RETAKES. (!) This is not mandatory but I thought I’d throw it out there in case you’re the kind of person who really likes a challenge. :)
• Here’s a tip, if you have a mobile phone with an alarm clock, set it for one minute before the hour i.e. at 7:59, 8:59 etc. This will give you a solid minute to get your camera ready and snap The Thing You Happen To Be Doing.

Please consider playing along! It’s really interesting to see what other people are doing at the same time you are. (Um, that is, if you are in the same time zone, but if not, that’s okay too.)

Also: it’s not a problem if you can’t upload as you go. Upload in batches when you have the chance. Or even the next day. I will be uploading mine in a separate blog post when I can.

If you’re participating please let me know in the comments so I can see the results of your hard work, and if you’re happy to lurk, look for the Hourly Photo post starting on December 25. :) Woot!

What is it about Christmas and chestnuts? The link was probably made because of a certain song we hear a lot this time of year: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose…”

The Nat King Cole version is a favourite of mine, so before I go much further, please allow me to indulge in a brief musical interlude. Thankyouverymuch.

Sigh.

Chestnuts by the fire might be a romantic notion, but did you know it used to be the kind of food that prevented people from starvation?

“Over 2000 years ago villages in the Apennine woodlands, which stretch the entire length of Italy’s peninsula along the east coast and were once thick with chestnut trees, survived long winters on the trees’ bounty. The fallen nuts were picked from the forest floor and dried in two-story stone drying shacks, the remains of which can still be found throughout the region. The nut also played a role in the Roman Empire: On their lengthy campaigns, Roman legions planted chestnut trees to help provide food for their vast armies. Polenta was made with chestnut meal until corn arrived in the 16th century. And castagnaccio, a flatbread of chestnut flour baked on an oiled stone, was a common staple. The gluten-free flour was used to bake heavy, dense loaves of bread, and was prized for its resistance to spoilage. If the chestnut was a staple during hard times, at least it was nutritious—the starchy nut is high in carbohydrates and has nearly as much vitamin C as a lemon.” (sourced from here)

Since chestnuts are an important part of our food heritage, I thought it was high time we tried roasting them ourselves.

We bought ours at Farm Boy. Here they are, ready to be prepped:

This next part is not very kid-friendly. Using a very sharp paring knife, carve an X across the flat side of each chestnut, making sure you pierce the shell. (Alternately, you could also make ONE slice across the rounded side with a serrated knife, which I think I will try time because it seems like it would be easier.) The cutting part was a bit time-consuming and resulted in a few numb fingers by the end of it. :)

Put your chestnuts in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. The shells will peel back like this:

We happened to be on our way to Westboro village to do some Christmas shopping so we brought a few hot ones with us to keep our hands warm for the walk.

Surprise, they look like little brains!

Underneath the hard brown shell is a thin papery layer that we peeled away with our fingernails. I read later that microwaving them for 20 seconds (after they’ve cooled) would have made it easier to remove, but it wasn’t a big deal. In fact, peeling the chestnuts gave us something to do while we walked and talked.

Roasted chestnuts have a dry, slightly sweet starchy flavour. I never really enjoyed them as a kid, but I have grown to like them well enough. (For what it’s worth, Sarah really liked them.) I can certainly see how they’d be good in a stuffing. They’d add a bit of crunchy texture that would be welcome in a good stuffing (like this one).

Anyway, yes, I was glad we did this together. I think we all learned something!

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This post is part of my 25 days of Christmas advent activities (although I’m actually doing only 12 this year). You can read more about the countdown calendar idea here.

Last night we had friends over for a little birthday party for Piper. They brought their dog too, who happens to be one of Piper’s best friends. We had so much fun that I forgot to snap a single photo.

I sent out the E-vite the week before. There were treats for the people (sparkling apple cider and cake) as well as an assortment of snacks for the dogs. Piper unwrapped a new squeak toy. The dogs both received loot bags too, which Sarah had fun preparing.

We chatted and laughed while the dogs ran around the house. The kids did their own thing while the grown ups sat around. It was mostly an excuse to visit and eat cake, but a GOOD excuse, don’t you think?

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This post is part of my 25 days of Christmas advent activities (although I’m actually doing only 12 this year). You can read more about the countdown calendar idea here.